A wooden boat that carried 80 refugees during their flight from Libya to Europe can be seen at the exhibition at the state museum in Hanover, Germany, 6 April 2017. Peter Steffen/Press Association. All rights reserved.Migrant smuggling has emerged as one of the
most profitable and widespread criminal activities for organised crime in the
EU. The profits generated reach billions of euros every year and the demand for
facilitation services remains high. Migrant smuggling is now a large,
profitable and sophisticated criminal market; almost all irregular migrants
entering the EU resort to paid facilitation services at some point of their
journey.
Who are the
smugglers?
Migrant smuggling to the EU is organised and
controlled by sophisticated criminal groups displaying unprecedented levels of
organisation and coordination. Present all along the migratory routes,
smugglers act in networks; this allows them to offer tailored services at the
various steps of the process, from transport and accommodation in origin and
transit countries to assistance for the legalisation of the stay once the final
destination has been reached.
The networks generally bring together various
EU and non-EU nationalities, making migrant smuggling a truly multi-national
business. Smugglers from over 122 nationalities have so far been identified.[1]
The groups are often poly-criminal, also engaging in other criminal activities
such as trafficking in human beings, drug trafficking, fraud or organised
property crime.
Why are they
a threat to the EU?
Migrant smuggling networks are highly
flexible and quickly adapt to changes in their environment. They are well aware
of existing policies and business opportunities and adjust their modus operandi
accordingly. They do so by shifting routes and means of transport, but also the
type of service they offer. For example, migrant smugglers increasingly rely on
social media to advertise their services; they also use ride-sharing
applications and peer-to-peer accommodation platforms to cover their
activities. Such resilience and adaptability mean that law enforcement agencies
must develop innovative investigation techniques and constantly be on the look out
for new developments.
A key part of the migrant smuggling business
model is supplying fraudulent documents used by irregular migrants to enter the
EU, circulate between Member States or legalise their residence status. The
types of documents on offer vary from genuine passport and identity cards
rented to look-alike individuals to fraudulent travel documents or breeder
documents (e.g. false work contract or marriage records) used to apply for
genuine visas, residency status or work permits. As the quality of the
documents is improving they become more difficult to detect for the
authorities. This makes it more difficult to control the entries and creates
the risk that potentially dangerous individuals might use this opportunity to
enter the EU undetected.
Migrant smuggling is a highly profitable
criminal activity featuring sustained high levels of demand and relatively low
levels of risk. As a result, more and more actors are turning to this activity,
sometimes blurring the lines between legal and illegal activities. Individual
criminal entrepreneurs use opportunities offered by modern communication tools
to offer ad-hoc services such as transportation or accommodation; they are
opportunistic and tend to step in and out of the business quite quickly. We
also see that Organised Crime Groups (OGCs) who were until now active in other
fields are increasingly turning to migrant smuggling; they use their contacts
and criminal resources to infiltrate this market and generate additional
incomes.
Last but not least, it should not be
forgotten that although they might present themselves as ‘service providers’, migrant smuggling networks are not tour
operators. Their core business is to exploit the vulnerability and hopes of
migrants for their own financial gain. The high fees imposed may result in debt
bondage that can lead to longterm exploitation after the migrant has arrived at
his or her destination. Reports of emotional and physical abuse are common,
particularly when it comes to women or minors. Finally the conditions in which
migrants are transported often pose a direct threat to their safety. In 2016,
5098 people died in the Mediterranean alone;[2]
this year, we have already reached 649 deaths.[3]
This cannot be tolerated.
What can be
done to address these threats?
Tackling the threats emerging from the
migratory crisis is not an easy task. Many different aspects come into play and
must be considered. This includes the push factors in departing countries; our
border and internal security policies; as well as our approach towards legal
migration, relocation and returns. The complexity and scale of the threat
requires a comprehensive answer. In addition, considering the diversity of
stakeholders involved, from national authorities to EU institutions and
international organisations, it is imperative that efforts be coordinated.
Europol has a crucial role to play in that
regard. Indeed, since it became operational in 1999, Europol has been an
important centre for law enforcement expertise in Europe. It is a key criminal
information hub providing intelligence and direct operational support to law
enforcement across (and beyond) the EU.
The European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC),
hosted at Europol, was launched in February 2016 to facilitate the cooperation
between all stakeholders and give Member States a platform for information
exchange and operational coordination. Within less than a year, data on over
17,400 suspected smugglers was submitted and the centre helped launch over
2,500 new international investigations.[4]
The EMSC works closely with our other centres, the European Counter Terrorism
Centre (ECTC) and the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), to build synergies
between national and European experts across all relevant areas. In addition to
providing analytical and operational support, Europol is therefore present in
the Italian and Greek hotspots together with the EU Regional Task Force to
perform secondary security checks aimed at detecting potential terrorist
networks. Through the EU Internet Referral Unit, we also take an active role in
disrupting online recruitment and smuggling services by monitoring their social
media activity and working with industry partners for their removal.
The Malta Declaration made in February 2017
by the heads of state and governments of the EU is a key instrument in taking
this cooperation further and ensuring that all aspects of the question are
addressed. It promotes an integrated approach in which all relevant
stakeholders are to join forces to address specific operational needs. It also
has a strong focus on addressing root causes and improving the capabilities of
local authorities dealing with the various aspects of migration in the
departure and transit countries.
Europol particularly welcomes the forward
looking approach laid down in Malta. We are now actively working, in close
cooperation with our partners, to fulfil those important objectives. Due to our
mandate, our primary focus naturally is the disruption of smuggling networks;
other organisations are better suited when it comes to improving reception
capacities or supporting socio-economic development in source countries. EMSC is pursuing its efforts to improve the
intelligence picture on migrant smuggling, close the intelligence gaps and increase
the information exchange between law enforcement and other stakeholders (in
particular with naval missions and the private sector).
We are also looking into possibilities to
increase our cooperation with key partners in the region. A lot has already
been achieved regarding cooperation with EU Common Security and Defence Policy
(CSDP)
missions and operations (especially EUNAVFOR);
we are now aiming at increased cooperation with the countries neighbouring
Libya.
[1]
EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2017.
[2]
IOM missing migrants project.
[3]
IOM Missing Migrant project – 27 March 2017.
[4]
European Migrant Smuggling Centre, First Year Activity Report.
The 2017 CEPS Ideas Lab – a
key annual event on EU policy organised by the Brussels-based think tank, the
Centre for European Policy Studies – asked how such core EU challenges as
Rights & Security can be implemented with respect for the EU rule of law
and fundamental rights. Cooperating with openDemocracy, we bring the resulting
debates to this dedicated page.